


Loves Labors Lost; Loves Labors Won

by Crazythatcounts



Category: Night at the Museum (2006 2009)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Other, Spoilers, ace ahkmenrah, post natm 3, wishes are to stronk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 16:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3140696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazythatcounts/pseuds/Crazythatcounts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Its been years since they'd seen each other last. But a very late birthday present gives the young Pharaoh Ahkmenrah a chance to make things right. Wishes are not meant to be easy - the reward is less sweet that way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When You Wish Upon A Star

**Author's Note:**

> Post Night At The Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb. Expect spoilers.

For the average human, it is unfathomable to think of living in abject loneliness for most of their lives. Most people believe that, at some point, they will find someone. It may not be the perfect someone, of course - many people honestly believe they will find and then _lose_ the perfect someone, which is pessimistic enough as is - but it will be someone. Sometimes, many times, people settle for those they deem a little bit less than. They may not have found perfection and have lost hope, or they may have lost what they thought was perfection, but either way they settle.

What people don't know, however, is that perfection is all but impossible to find. It is more likely for a person to get bitten by four sharks, get stung by eighty bees, and suffer three lightning strikes in the course of the same year than to find perfection. Those are the odds people hope against their entire lives.

It is also those odds that describe how likely it is to believe oneself to live in loneliness forever.

And yet, there the Pharaoh sat, softly, listening to the hum of the others around him, the trot and clop of bones on stone, the strike of metal and the mild chatter of passing statues, and he truly believed himself only capable of living alone for the rest of his days.

But the universe works in mysterious and circuitous ways, and it is always best not to think too far ahead.

 

~*~*~*~

 

It had been five years since he saw Larry Daley in person. Five years is a long time in the life of a human, but in the life of an immortal mummy made of wax and rot and shattered plastered bone five years is a blip. Fifty passed between the tablet's resurgence and the opening of Ahkmenrah's tomb, and that felt like nothing. And even though those five years were small, they weighed heavy on the young pharaoh.

"Son." Ahkmenrah's father spoke, putting a heavy hand on the young man's shoulder. Ahkmenrah had taken to spending his time sitting on his sarcophagus, staring at the tablet in his hands and tracing delicate fingers over the fine engravings. "We need to see you for a moment." His father was soft, gentle, because he could tell what Ahkmenrah had discovered many moons ago - the presence of his parents was wonderful, but the lost he suffered for it was worse than could be imagined. Ahkmenrah said nothing as he stood, clutching the tablet close to his chest as his father led him away.

They headed into the largest room in the museum, where the moonlight shown from the glass ceiling in lonely rays, shimmering with latent dust. "We have a birthday present for you." His mother was waiting in the center, bathed in moonlight, beautiful in the blue. "I know it's a bit strange, still receiving a birthday present, considering you, well..." She smiled. It was sweet, the sentiment, but they all knew better than to bring up their own deaths, especially Ahkmenrah's. No one liked to mention his murder anymore.

"We never got to give you this present when you turned eighteen, like we wanted, and tonight is the right night for you to receive it. It is the same date and time, with the same moon and planet alignment and without the long wait it could be said it is exactly the same as the night you would have turned eighteen." His father made a sort of grand, sweeping gesture as he stepped into the moonlight, interrupting the shimmer on the floor with his shadow. Ahkmenrah didn't even crack a smile.

"Son, please cheer up." His mother approached him, putting both hands on his shoulders. "I know it has been a hard time without your friends. I know you miss them, and I know you know it was done for your best interest. I'm not going to tell you not to miss them, but please, for one night, try to smile. It will do your heart good to enjoy a moment of life before you get your birthday present."

"And trust us, son, having a happy heart can help your present in many ways you cannot fathom." His father smiled, waiting a moment. Ahkmenrah tried to force a smile, and it was small and sad.

"What is my present?" Ahkmenrah asked, trying a little harder. "Or is it a surprise."

"We best tell him." His mother chuckled. "I know you wanted to surprise him, but we need to heal his heart before it happens. Besides, we know what he's going to do with it, it's obvious."

"Alright, alright." Ahkmenrah's father shook his head, putting a hand on the tablet in Ahkmenrah's arms. Ahkmenrah stepped back, a little taken aback. Of course, the birthday thing was a bit strange, but his parents were sentimental and he could see the idea behind the date and time. And getting a gift was also quite odd, because what could they give him? Life? It was worthless, honestly. But the hand on the tablet caught him off guard, because he realized, with it they could give him anything. Anything at all.

"This tablet was endowed with a wish. A single wish, from the great Bastet herself. It is her last gift to a child as he ascends from her care. We wanted you to have it on your eighteenth birthday, to bring you into adulthood proper. But you never received it, and for that I am disheartened. But now it is the right time, and the wish can be granted, and it can give you anything your heart desires." His father lifted his hand, pressing it to Ahkemenrah's chest gently. "Though I do not think I need to ask you what your wish is. I believe I know it already. You wish to return to your friends in New York."

Ahkmenrah couldn't speak for a long moment. Wishes were powerful things, huge and wonderful and gracious, but potent and lethal at the same time. There could be no words to describe the sudden, immense responsibility that came with being granted a wish. A wish - especially one that came with the tablet, a wish from the _gods_ of all things - could make or break anything, including the world itself. And they were temperamental, good lord, wishes were fierce and feisty. They took word choices literally, quite literally, and they could turn even the best of intentions into the worst of disasters. And Ahkmenrah had free reign of one.

"It is... more than that, father." Ahkmenrah clutched the tablet a little closer, exhaling slowly. It was now or never, he told himself. He had avoided the subject of Larry with his father entirely, and it wasn't hard to understand why. How could Ahkmenrah know how his father would react to such a thing? It wasn't just the idea that Ahkmenrah and Larry had been more or less together, but the way they were together that worried the poor young Pharaoh.

You see, Larry and Ahkmenrah had never officially been anything, at least out loud. To the outside world, Larry Daley had remained single, because it was hard enough to explain a moving museum, let alone that he was dating one. And really, they weren't even that far into it themselves. Sometimes they took moments to themselves, but usually the farthest they got was making out in a closest. Something about sexual acts almost _frightened_ Ahkmenrah, with men or women, and Larry seemed put off and usually their forays would end quickly after. They never discussed their relationship, menial though it was, with anyone in the museum, either. The closest description Ahkmenrah found came from Larry's then teenage son, who, when Ahkmenrah confided his worries about his inability to go further than kissing, described them as being "friends with benefits. But limited benefits. Friends on a low budget plan's benefits. Friends with affordable benefits. Or, better, highschoolers".

There was very little way Ahkmenrah could explain _that_ to his father. His father didn't know what highschool was, nor did he understand the implications of budgets, or benefits. But at this point, with his parents assuming his wish was to return to New York - which wasn't entirely untrue, either - he had to say something before they steered his wording wrong and ruined the wish entirely.

"What do you mean, more than that?" There was no malice, no concern in his father's tone, just a need for understanding, and that was a comfort to the young Pharaoh.

"I mean, I do not just wish to return to New York. The Hero of Brooklyn, Larry Daley, I wish to.... return to him. Him, specifically." Ahkmenrah smiled, and thank every single god in turn his father and mother both smiled back at him.

"You enjoy his company?" His mother asked, and oh, she was leading with that one, "Or is there something more?"

"I believe there was something more, but we did not have enough time or honesty to find out. Hathor helped me understand my part in it, and helped me understand what this deep caring was for him, but I do not believe he was willing to learn his part in turn. I want more time with him, to help him understand and to know truly if he feels what I felt." Ahkmenrah, in a show of honesty, held out the tablet to his father. "If I am wrong in what I know I feel, then let the gods take my wish and scatter it among the stars."

"Stars?" His father took the tablet, confused.

"I hear young ones believe if they make minor demands on a star that falls, then it will come true. If my caring for Larry is not welcomed by the gods, then let them take my gift and give it to those that wish on the stars, so that it may be used still." Ahkmenrah was serious, and yet humble in his demands. His mother chuckled.

"The fact that you're willing to give up the greatest gift in the world for a man you have not seen in years tells me you are not wrong." She said, putting her hands on his cheeks and bringing his head forward for a kiss. "And I dare any god to tell me they know my own blood better than I do."

"Don't say that, dear." His father chuckled. "We invoke their power too much in jest and we may not see tomorrow night out of sheer spite." He shook his head, wrapping his arm around his son's shoulders and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead as well. "Are you sure, son, this is what you want?"

"Yes. I want to be with Larry. As long as he wants me to be there." Ahkmenrah nodded, resolute.

"Then it is settled. Tonight, you and I shall sequester ourselves from the rest of the population. We will write you your wish down in such a way where it cannot be misconstrued, along with the appropriate prayers and intonations to the appropriate gods. Your mother will spend the rest of the night preparing the proper gifts and standing ceremonial items, and tomorrow, we shall make your wish come true."

"It will not be easy." His mother smiled. "You know that to be true. Gods do not give gifts to be easy. They give us challenges that we must overcome, but the reward is far greater than any risk taken. Do not give up when it is rough, and keep your head high. We are watching out for you here, no matter when or where."

"Are you ready?" His father led him to the moonlight, let it bask across his face. Dust tickled his nose as the small amount of light glittered on the crown he never got to wear in life. He had never been exposed to risk in life, only in the afterlife, only with Larry. His time ended far too quickly, even for the liking of the gods. His murder left him the first to die, and now, he thought, taking the crown off and placing it in the light of the moon in offering, he would be the first of his family to be reborn.

"Yes. I am ready. Let us get started."


	2. Europe's Skies

The moon was full, bright, and hopeful the next night. The pedestal they had placed in the center of the room was large, the light from the ceiling barely kissing the edges of the pedestal. Ahkmenrah could feel the air almost vibrating with power, culminating at the tablet that sat on the altar tablet at the center. It hummed, almost, engravings a gentle yellow in the moonlight. 

Ahkmenrah was nervous, fidgety and hesitant, watching his mother put the final touches on the table. He wished they could put a cheat sheet or something up there for him just in case he forgot what to say. He couldn't have his wish written down, his father had told him, because just reading it would be in error. He had to memorize it, because the wish had to come from his heart, not his hands. So he memorized it, as best he could, but it was hard to do in one night. Cramming for the exam never did anyone favors, Nicky had told him once, and he finally sort of understood the concept. Exams were still strange, but he was getting there. 

His father stepped up to him and wrapped a shawl around his arms. Ahkmenrah had been decked in his finest ceremonial clothing - gold laden shoulders holding up a deep purple cape, a shawl of silk and silver, beads and gold inlaid into every fabric possible - and they had shined up his crown, as he owned no other. "Are you nervous?" His father asked, keeping his hands on his son's shoulders in comfort. 

"Yes." It was a meek admission, not from embarrassment, but nerves. 

"You will do fine. Trust in us, son, and trust in the gods. It does not matter if you misspeak - it is what is in your heart they will rely on." His father gave Ahkmenrah's back a pat and stepped away, joining Ahkmenrah's mother on the sidelines. The alter was open. Ahkmenrah gulped, stepping forward. 

Once he stepped it was like his feet were no longer his to control. He continued moving at a slow pace, gliding almost across the stone, up two steps to stop at the altar. The tablet's hum was audible now, though it was hard to tell if it was his proximity to the tablet and it had been humming all along, or if it had only just started when he approached. It was a soft drone, tuneless and comforting, an ohm of calm. Beside it sat a symbol of Bastet - an ankh of gold with lines through the loop - and on the other side sat a symbol of Hathor - two bulls horns with a disk of gold suspended between. In the middle, in front of the tablet, was a small ankh on a leather necklace. 

Ahkmenrah knelt, trying to remember what he had written, speaking them aloud as they came to him. Prayer to Bastet, he remembered. It was Her blessing that gave him the wish in the first place. Prayer to Hathor, he remembered. It was with Her guidance that his wish could be granted. Prayer to Orisis and Ra, he remembered. The Egyptian was soft spoken but strong, personal, not showy. The tablet's hum grew stronger and deeper when he finished, and he looked up at it. His wish was all that was left, and he paused a moment. He remembered most of it, he knew he did, but when he opened his mouth no sound came out. 

He gasped, the only sounds leaving him a soft choking. The tablet began to glow brightly, golden, reflecting golden off the other two symbols until they began to glow of their own will. Ahkmenrah tried to speak again, slightly panicked, because his voice was gone and he couldn't tell them his wish! But something caught his eye and he looked over, seeing his father mime the removal of his crown, and his mother mime putting something around his neck. He blinked, remembering now the ankh on the table. Gently, he stood, removing his crown and setting it beside the ankh, before placing the necklace over his neck. 

A smoke gray cat with dark stripes and nearly white eyes slunk into the room. 

And that's when the pain hit him. It was like a hot, electrical crackle that started at his fingertips, racing up every nerve in his arms and into his chest. He couldn't scream, he still had no voice, and the crackle reached his throat and he thought he was choking. He collapsed to his knees, the burning tingle racing down his legs and weakening his joints, and then fell over, tumbling down the two stairs on the pedestal, but not off it. His mother made to run for him, but she was stopped by warning hands from her husband, who directed her attention to the cat. 

The cat lazily meandered towards the pedestal, hopping straight onto the second step. But instead of landing on its tiny back feet, those feet became iridescent, human, the body growing to suspend the very real looking cat's head in an almost ghostly body. It was something only the young Pharaoh could see, as when his parents looked on they only saw the cat. The now woman stepped through the alter, towering over where Ahkmenrah lay. He managed to get a good glimpse of her reaching down to gently touch his chest through the pain, before the burning overflowed into his head and he lost consciousness. 

~*~*~

He woke up cold. The chill enclosed him to the very bone, making him ache. His fingers and toes tingled with numbness, and he eventually opened his eyes. The smoky black cat that had taken residence up on his chest as he slept didn't move, staring at him with unblinking eyes. He groaned. 

"Ahkmenrah!" That was his mother's voice, crying out as she rushed to his side. She stroked his hair and cradled his head, eliciting a groan from the young Pharaoh. 

"I'm alright, I'm alright." Ahkmenrah murmured, letting out a grunt as he attempted to sit up. The cat remained as long as it could before it was knocked to the floor, slinking away to hide under a ledge. "I'm very cold, though." He chuckled. It took him a second to look down and realize why he was so cold - his robes were gone. 

"Your clothes disintegrated." His father said, sitting next to his feet. His mother wrapped one of her shawls around her son's shoulders in an attempt to warm him. "They caught fire and burned to ash around you. The crown, too. Nothing else was harmed. Not even the cat, though it sat through the fire on your chest like it was not worth it's time."

"The-the cat!" Ahkmenrah jumped up, suddenly remembering, quickly taking to his knees as the feeling in his feet was not substantial to support his weight. "I saw-I saw Bastet! The cat... It was a woman, but that cat's face..." He was uncertain, now, and confused, because there was no response that anyone else saw the blasted thing. He faltered, pressed a hand to his head, and gently reached for the angered cat. "I saw you. I saw you, I know I did."

"Dear, please." His mother helped him to sit again, rubbing his shoulders. "Rest. Night is almost done. You must have your strength." 

"I do not know if the wish worked, though." Ahkmenrah said, sadly. "I never got to say it. I couldn't speak. It was like someone was forcing the words back inside me before I could say them. I was choking... and then it was so painful, I couldn't speak at all." 

"We will see, son." His father put an arm around his back. "The gods are strange and unfathomable. They may have known your wish without you saying it. They are powerful enough, and we should not doubt them. If you say you were visited by Bastet, then I believe you, and I believe only you were worthy of seeing Her form." 

"What happens if it worked?" Ahkmenrah said. He did not get an answer, though. It is a strange thing, watching flesh turn waxy and old in front of you. His father froze, his mother too, and both began to revert to what they were before the tablet raised them. They rotted, slowly, faces melting, and in horror Ahkmenrah looked at his own hands. But they did nothing. They were brown, and warm, with pinks and reds and grays in the skin. But they did not rot. He got his wish! He was human, and whole, and able to go see Larry himself! He nearly screamed. 

He got up, heading out of the Egypt exhibit, padding gently through the empty museum. It was quiet, so so quiet, and he felt strange interrupting the hush in the air. He found himself in the large rotunda, looking at the glass in the ceiling. Dark blue sky was tinged with red, turning pink and yellow at the edges. "Sunrise." He smiled, turning around to show someone but... he was alone. 

A tingle set in. He was alone. He was naked save the shawl he had over his shoulders, which was semi-sheer anyway. He was still cold. "Hello?" He asked. No one answered, and he moved through the museum at a faster pace, thinking maybe he could find someone. There was always a night guard, right? There was that one woman, the blond lady that made out with cavemen, he knew her. She was a night guard, right? She had to be around to lock up. "Hello?" He called, a bit louder, almost frantic now. He didn't want to be alone. Not like this. 

"The bloody fucking hell?!" He heard, and he spun around, overjoyed at the voice. The night guard had her flashlight pointed at him, and he ran to her, throwing his arms around her in a hug. It was so comforting to have a friend at that moment, as the sheer loneliness of being left in the museum was overwhelming. She froze, stiffening. "Get off get off!" She pushed him, pulling her hammer from her pocket. "Who are you? You ain't a statue 'cause it's sunrise and while I appreciate the random hugs from handsome men you're not wearing pants and I have standards, you know, even though my boyfriend says I don't I do."

"I'm Ahkmenrah. The Pharaoh." Ahkmenrah shrugged, smiling. She seemed to recognize his voice, and put the hammer down. 

"Why are you naked? You had clothes before, when you was a mummy. You're not a mummy? Or are you? Cause if you're not I'm gonna need to escort you out of the building 'cause right now we're not open and it's my job and all." 

"Please don't." Ahkmenrah begged, looking for all the world like a tortured puppy when he spoke. "I need your help. I need to get out of the country, back to America. I need to find the other night guard, Larry Daley. And I cannot do it without you - I have nothing to give you in return but blessings from the gods." He smiled, the cat that had followed him throughout the museum coming up and rubbing against the woman's legs. 

"Alright, alright, alright. Come with me and we'll figure this out, alright?" She said, glancing down at the cat with a frown. "Where did he come from? He yours?"

Ahkmenrah chuckled sheepishly. "Sort of. She is a, uh.... birthday present, of sorts. Don't ask." 

"Don't worry. I got too many questions to care about a cat. Just make sure she don't get lost. I don't think the day shift guard likes cats very much." The night guard picked up the cat and handed her to Ahkmenrah. The cat purred in his arms, and he felt instantly more at ease. "Come on. I can find you something to wear at least." She chuckled, leading him down another hallway to a door. "Lemme guess, you're naked because your birthday, too? This all birthday nonsense?"

"You have no idea." Ahk chuckled, taking the cat with him into the back rooms. "You have no idea."


	3. You've Got A Friend In Me

"So you're telling me you've got to get to America as soon as possible, then, if you want to do this whole business justice, yeah?" The female night guard asked. It was only recently Ahkmenrah had found out her name was _Mindy_ \- she hadn't ever actually introduced herself, though she tried hard enough. She just spoke in a way which was so round-about that when she finally did work her name into a conversation, the exhibits were a bit too confused processing the _rest_ of her sentence to notice.

 

She had done as she had promised, and found Ahkmenrah some clothes. In a locker in the back she found an old, old janitor's uniform, with slits instead of pockets and a zipper that only went up most of the way. Somehow, it managed to fit him, though it was large and only stayed on because it was a single piece. There wasn't anything else, and Ahkmenrah had spent the next several hours shifting around in them, trying to avoid chafing and uncomfortable positions for too long while he told her the whole story. It had taken most of the day, between finding him clothes, explaining the situation and getting them both a snack from the vending machine and it was almost evening already.

 

"More or less." Ahkmenrah sighed. He had explained probably three or four times that there was no real urgency to the wish itself, but that he wanted to be hasty, but it never stuck. It wasn't that Mindy wasn't able to understand, but moreso her exuberance over matters of the heart made _everything_ in his tale seem more urgent that it should have been. It wasn't too bad, though, to just let Mindy think that, and he'd given up trying to say otherwise.

 

"Well, I mean, I'm really sorry, 'cause I can't really help all that much. Wouldn't it be better just to give him a ring? Larry, I mean, that night guard fellow." Mindy asked, throwing the crisp wrapper she'd bought to eat in the trash, leaning back in her chair. "I know if I was Larry I'd want a call, cause random people showin' up at my door like, hey, friend, yeah, it's been five years and I'm defying all conventional logic and showing up at your door, well, I'd not want that." She shrugged, pausing a moment as her walkie talkie buzzed at her. "Yeah?" She asked.

 

" _There's some kid at the front, says he knows you, wants to speak to you. Name's Daley._ " The walkie replied, half static. Ahkmenrah immediately brightened, almost comically so, and the Mindy noticed, giving Ahkmenrah a hearty smile. She knew Nicky liked to visit during the day as much as a budding college computer-science major could, so this wasn't unexpected for her - but for Ahkmenrah this was a treat.

 

"Yeah, I know him. Send him back to the breakroom. He's a friend of a friend. Don't worry about it." She smiled, replacing the walkie. "Maybe you might be in luck after all, Mr. Pharaoh." She shook her head, bustling about the room and gathering her things, as she was almost on shift anyway. Ahkmenrah was practically glowing as he waited.

 

They didn't wait long, as the break room wasn't actually set that far back into the museum at all. There was a knock, and Nicky Daley opened the door, shoving it open with his backpack. He was double fisting coffees, one in each hand, speaking as he tried not to spill either. "Hey, so since I'm here way late I thought I'd at least bring you a coffee and---" He stopped short, nearly sloshing hot coffee onto the floor. He was tall now, much taller than Ahkmenrah remembered, almost the Pharaoh's height. His hair was shorter, but with the bangs kept kind of long and streaked with faded red. He had a small amount of scruff on his face, probably from late nights not shaving, and his eyes had bags and so little sleep about them that it was almost sad. He was wearing layers, a jacket over a t-shirt over a collared shirt, and sneakers even Ahkmenrah recognized from Nicky's youth. "Oh _shit_." Nicky finally managed.

 

There is an important thing to note about this reunion: Ahkmenrah had not seen Nicky since his father left. Nicky had, unbeknownst to the Pharaoh, chosen to go to school in England, and in between his daytime classes he visited the museum a lot. But he was almost always working a gig at night- DJing his way through too much alcohol was a pretty sweet deal, to be honest, and he wasn't going to miss a job for his life - so during the evenings, he stayed away. That, and he may have mentioned once to Mindy that maybe, just maybe, he felt a little guilty, having kind of abandoned Ahkmenrah and all, and leaving the others to never wake again in America. Guilty enough that he avoided facing the Pharaoh head on, preferring to stare at his sarcophagus for hours during the day and occasionally show up at five half drunk and crying because his father made a huge mistake and it wasn't fair that he had to deal with the aftermath. That might have been a thing, too, but Mindy was the only one that remembered it, and said nothing to anyone about it.

 

"It has been too long, Son of Larry." Ahkmenrah was too kind for the situation, and Nicky didn't care, setting the coffee down so quickly he almost threw both cups and throwing his arms around the Pharaoh. Because it didn't matter that he _had_ been avoiding Ahk, the poor young boy missed the only other role model in his life like he was a second father gone away, and nothing could have kept him from hugging the other. Not even misplaced guilt and shame. "I didn't know you were even in England."

 

"God, _fuck_." Nicky didn't let go for a long moment. "I'm so sorry, Ahk." He pulled back, and that child's face Ahk expected to follow the warm arms wasn't there, replaced by the haunted, harrowed eyes of an adult that was far too alone in the world. "I've been here for a while now, but I just... I couldn't see you, man, I couldn't, and I... I don't know why." Nicky grimaced, stepping back, away. "I guess it's just... Dad abandoned you and then I came here thinking maybe he'd come with and instead he didn't and I feel like I got shoved into a trashed room alone and it was my job to pick up the pieces and it's just..."

 

"It's okay, Nicky." Ahkmenrah put a hand on the young man's shoulder. They looked so similar, standing together, almost like some weird father and son. "It does not matter, because I am seeing you now and that's what's important." He smiled, and Nicky smiled back, just slightly. "It does not matter why you spent your evenings elsewhere, or even that you did at all. I am much happier to see you succeeding than I am sad you did not visit."

 

"Success is relative, but thanks." Nicky chuckled, shaking his head a little. "Also, its, uh... I go by Nick now." He seemed sheepish, flushed a little. "Nicky's a bit of a kid's name."

 

"Well, then, you're welcome, Nick. Son of Larry. Guardian of England." Ahkmenrah chuckled back, wrapping an affectionate arm around the young man's shoulders. Nick smiled, brightly, his eyes closing in the intensity of the happiness in his face. "Would you endeavor to help me, Nick?" Ahkmenrah asked, leading the young man to the table and sitting down. Mindy was sitting across from them, enjoying her free coffee, which she usually bought for Nick. She liked the kid, and he was a good person, but from watching the exchange she could also tell he wasn't on his game today. Otherwise he'd notice the elephant staring him in the face.

 

"Help you with what?" Nick sat down on the table, blowing on his coffee and making disgusted faces at the drips that had apparently gone down the side. "I mean, I probably totally can, but what would a mummy even need?"

 

"You even know what time it is, Nick?" Mindy spoke up, smiling mischievously, "You should check your watch before you go saying things like oh, I can't help you you're undead and all that whatnot."

 

Nick stared at her for a moment, before pulling out his cell phone with a straight face, meant to remind Mindy that no one used watches anymore, because smartphones. But then he glanced at the time, and his eyes went wide, and he looked between the phone and Ahkmenrah like there was some sort of magic trick going on here.

 

"I do not know what a mummy may need in the day time, Nick." Ahkmenrah said, a warm, leader's smile on his face. "Because I am no longer a mummy."

 

"Holy _shit_." Nick said, staring now at Ahkmenrah. "Holy _shit_ what did you _do_." He dropped his phone in his lap, picking up his coffee. "Did they spike this coffee? Am I high?"

 

"You're not high." Mindy chuckled, standing. "Apparently the pharaoh got a bit of a birthday wish last night and now he's all real and can walk and talk during the day and the like, and he says he wants to get back to America to see your dad again which is why he made the wish and he's gotta do it pronto." She pulled her keys from her belt. "Now, I'm gonna go lock the doors and get this place all booked up for the night and such. If you need to get out I'll be in my office."

 

"Thank you." Ahkmenrah stood, Nick watching silently, still processing this new news. The Pharaoh stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the nightguard softly. This time, she hugged back. "You have been more help than I could have wished for, and I do not think I could have managed without you. May Bastet bless you." He said. The cat, which had been somewhere as cats usually are, slunk into the room as he spoke and pressed itself against Mindy's legs, purring.

 

"It's been no problem." Mindy smiled, patting Ahk on the back. "Now, you get yourself back to your ma and pa so they can know you didn't get all busted up during the day and such, and I'll let you both out whenever you need to, and you can get on to America to find your nightguard." She smiled, pulling away and heading for the door. "Ta!" And she closed the door behind her, leaving them alone in the break room.

 

"So I'm not high." Nick repeated, softly. "And you're.... human?"

 

"Yes." Ahkmenrah turned, going to stand by the table. "I am more human than I have ever been before, capable of being awake during the day as well as the evening. I feel exhaustion, hunger, and thirst. Most of which Mindy helped me take care of." Ahkmenrah chuckled.

 

" _How_?" Nick then asked, sipping on his coffee. "I mean, how can you even do that kinda thing? The tablet?"

 

"It was not just the tablet. The tablet focused the energy, but it was a gift. From my parents, from the gods. I was.... owed." Ahkmenrah looked to his feet. He was owed, he figured. He never got to have his most important birthday.

 

"Owed?" Nick stood up, setting his coffee on the table. "Do you.... wanna talk about it?" He smiled. This was almost as bad as his third girlfriend, who was too quiet and couldn't tell him what was wrong until he had already pushed her too far away to recover. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't wanna."

 

"I... I do not know if you've read anything on my files in the museum exhibit, either recently or before, but there are things they do not mention. I was told at least once that it was too graphic to put before children's eyes, but.... I was murdered. I was murdered before I turned eight teen, and this present was meant to be given to me when I came of age."

 

"Murdered?" Nick looked concerned. "By whom?"

 

"My brother, Kamunrah."


	4. And I Just Can't Wait To Be King

"Holy _shit_." Nick murmured. It was one thing to find out Ahkmenrah had become human, of course. It had become relatively common place, magic like that. Nick _did_ grow up spending time in a museum where every item that could hold basic sentience - from a tyrannosaurus skeleton that paraded around a museum much like a dog and was aware of its body enough to not break everything around him, to an Easter Island head that had a grasp of language, if only the basics, to busts and miniatures and giant, angry jackals - but this was different. Finding out the person he considered more or less his best friend since he was a child - or, as he tended to tell his college friends, his weird Egyptian Uncle who traveled a lot - had been _murdered_ hurt. And by Ahkmenrah's own brother? I mean, he knew Kahmunrah was a _dick_ , but to commit murder? " _Why?_ "

 

Ahkmenrah crossed his arms, shook his head. "I can only speculate, because my parents will not speak to me about my own death, and I cannot simply ask Kahmunrah himself. I have an idea, though it is not the most... original." He shrugged, quirked his lips in a disappointed frown, and continued. "I was destined for the throne upon my next birthday, the day in which I would become a true adult in the eyes of my parents - they abhorred the idea of anyone too young taking the throne as had happened in the past, as a kingdom ruled by a child was never really ruled by the child at all, but their guardian - and I believe Kahmunrah murdered me to get to it."

 

"Sounds legit." Nick forced a smile, tried not to think about Ahkmenrah dead and realized he probably wasn't going to be sleeping for a few nights but he could deal with that. He had enough vodka in his room to knock out a horse. "I mean, the theory. Sounds legitimate." He chuckled, awkwardly. Ahkmenrah stepped forward, placing a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Did you... do you remember it?" Nick asked, soft this time, honestly curious amid the heartbreak.

 

"No." Ahkmenrah let his lips lend themselves to a soft smile, and the answer seemed to give the other a small amount of comfort. "I simply went to bed one night and never woke again. Well, until, you know." Ahkmenrah chuckled, and Nick laughed with him, a little less heartbroken. At least his weird half-Uncle-thing didn't suffer, and that was honestly the best you could wish on anyone who was dying. Had died. "Now come, my parents must be worried sick, as I am not in the chamber where they went to sleep."

 

The two of them moved quickly, Ahkmenrah's new found humanity giving him power. It was almost strange, actually getting to walk the halls as a human - he felt compelled to run. As a mummy, he never felt compelled to test his muscles or run too hard unless the situation called for the necessity. He was okay simply striding through the halls, letting his old cloak trail behind him, letting the others around him run and jump. Occasionally he'd jog to catch up, but now he wanted to _run_. He could feel the blood pouring through his legs, feel the beat of his heart - and it was his heart, to boot, he couldn't remember the last time he felt that harsh beat-beat-beat in his own chest - all the way down the veins of his legs, into his bare feet which pattered along the cold stone. Temperatures were new, too, so the cold stone was just as wonderful as the heat that rushed to his face as he ran.

 

His parents were waiting patiently in their chamber as he skidded in. Of course the jackals nearly jumped out of their skin and almost killed him, because they weren't used to _anyone_ bolting into the chamber that quickly that didn't mean them harm, but that was okay. Ahkmenrah put his hands on his knees, panting, drawing in lungful after lungful of sweet, hot, air he forgot was it was like to breath. It _hurt_ , it hurt so much, but it was so fantastic all the same.

 

Nick trotted in a moment later, not fit enough to run like that, and the jackals immediately turned on him. "Ohhhhh hey hey." Nick chuckled, out of breath, putting his hands in the air. "Don't-hey, uh-can someone call off the Mod Squad?"

 

Ahkmenrah, without even looking, waved a hand and spoke something Nick couldn't understand, and the jackals retreated, a one arm over their chest salute as they went. "Sorry." Ahkmenrah chuckled, finally standing, finally regaining normal breathing, "I got them excited."

 

"It's okay." Nick shook his head. "I'm very used to being almost-killed." He paused, looking past Ahkmenrah, and noticed his parents were staring. "Oh, uh..."

 

"Ah, yes. Mother, Father, this is Nick Daley, Son of Larry Daley, Guardian of...." Ahkmenrah stopped, turned, and looked at Nick for an answer. It took the boy a second to realize Ahkmenrah didn't know where he was staying, where he was going to school, or what he could be Guardian of otherwise. Definitely not Brooklyn. Nick struggled a moment, everyone waiting on him, before he had an answer.

 

"The, uh, the Albertopolis." Nicky finally answered, proud of himself. Everyone paused for a moment, before Ahkmenrah ran with it, because what other answer was he even expecting?

 

"Guardian of Albertopolis." He finished, crossing his arms. "He is Larry's boy. We have a great friendship between us, and it was a delight to see him here. He may be able to help me." Ahkmenrah was absolutely ecstatic, and it was easy to see on his face. The Pharaoh stood, and Nick paled almost immediately at the atmosphere change. The Pharaoh carried a room with him, so when he stood, everything went silent in awe at him. Nick wasn't talking to a friend's father anymore, but a King, a Fourth King of Fourth Kings, a ruler with so many capital letters in his title it makes it look like the typings of an obsessed teenager. And oh man Nick was suddenly very nervous.

 

The Pharaoh stepped up to Nick, taller than the boy - or at least he seemed like it - and held there a moment, before cracking a smile and putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "It is good to meet another of the Family of Daley, and a Guardian, too!" He was smiling brightly, big on his face, "Your father must be very proud."

 

This was the exact opposite thing that Nick expected, so it took him a long moment to respond. "I, I guess. I think he is. I mean." Nick flushed, looking at his shoes. "We don't talk much. But I know he definitely wanted me to go to college eventually, so." Nick hid the sadness of the moment behind a chuckle, and Ahkmenrah quickly swooped in, pulling his dad away.

 

"Father," He distracted his dad, catching his eyes so he wouldn't stare, because Nick was obviously not in the mood anymore and Ahkmenrah could sense that in a way that he couldn't before - sense the tone and the atmosphere in a way that was so much more nuanced than what he remembered - and put his hands on his dad's shoulders. "Father, it worked. I am human again. I can go to New York. And Nick can help me."

 

"That is wonderful, son." Ahkmenrah's father hummed, putting his hands on his son's shoulders in a sort of awkward tango stance. "But I need you to answer something for me: You did not speak your wish, but we must know what exact words were in your heart."

 

Ahkmenrah paused for a moment, thinking hard, letting his hands drop. "I wished... that as long as Larry wanted me, I could stay by his side as a human." He nodded, turning his eyes to the floor as he did, thinking of that night. He didn't see the looks his parents gave each other, but Nick did. Ever observant, he could tell they were worried by the choice of words. He hovered, worried now as well. But Ahkmenrah's parents were good parents, and hid their worry well, and smiled.

 

"You will do well in your journey, I can assure it. The gods would not lead you astray." His mother nodded, kissing her son on the forehead. "Come with me, as there are a few things we wish you to journey with, for your safety." She took Ahkmenrah's hands, leading him off, casting a backwards glance to her husband. Both Nick and the Pharaoh knew what it meant, and they shuffled towards each other, attempting to stay unnoticed.

 

"So uh, this gonna be a lot harder than you thought?" Nick asked, reading the well worn look of parental worry on the Pharaoh's face - the same look he'd seen on his dad right before he decided to do something that sounded genius but was pretty stupid, like stand on Rexy to change a light bulb, fly the Wright Brother's plane without instruction, or ice hockey.

 

"His wording worries me." The Pharaoh sighed. "He wants to be with your father, as you probably understand. He has apparently already been in somewhat of a relationship with your father, if I understood him correctly?"

 

"He and dad made out in closets sometimes, yeah." Nick shrugged. "I mean, dad was pretty attached to him and stuff. He never talked about it to me, of course, cause to him I was always just a kid that wouldn't understand, but." The way Nick responded wasn't bitter, but sort of off put, like it was a bad taste in his mouth. "But Ahk totally talked to me about it. He's gaga over my dad. Like, I think he spent a few hours once writing Larry's name in a notebook with hearts and flowers and shit."

 

"Flowers?" The Pharaoh was confused, having never experienced the phenomenon that was love struck goofy teenagers.

 

"It's... it's a thing." Nick sidestepped the topic quickly. "But what's with his wording that's so bad? I mean it seems pretty noble to me. He coulda wished to be alive as long as _he_ wanted Larry, but he left it up to my dad. Which seems pretty generous to me."

 

"What worries me is that there is a great difference between _want_ , dear boy, and _need_ , and though your father may _need_ his young Pharaoh, and though my son may _need_ Larry in return, it may not be a thing your father _wants_ until he finds it to be too late." The Pharaoh was fretting, worried.

 

"Look, it's not gonna be that big of a deal. My dad is gonna love to see Ahk back. Trust me, I know him." Nick gestured to himself. "He literally made me and I lived with him for _years_. We got this." He nodded.

 

"Well then, Nick Daley, I trust you. May Orisis and Ra guide you, may Hathor and Bastet bless you, and may the rest of the gods find favor in your journey. It will not be easy. It will be long and strenuous. But I pray you will succeed." The Pharaoh was grim, and Nick didn't want to know what would happen if they didn't, because it sounded bad. It sounded world ending level bad.

 

"Thanks?" Nick smiled, sheepish, unsure what to say. There was a weight on his shoulders, now, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for it yet. Not as a kid, who hadn't even graduated yet or anything. But then he looked to Ahkmenrah, who was accepting things from his mother - a necklace, an ankh, a coin - and realized something. Ahkmenrah had not turned eighteen before he died. Looking at it logically, Nick was _older_ than the once-mummy. And that _kid_ , that barely adult, had not only just wished himself into the living to go on this journey, presumably by himself at first, but had been destined to become a Pharaoh. And if Ahkmenrah could lead a country at that age, Nick could help the Pharaoh's son out in this journey.

 

"Thanks." Nick repeated, this time no longer a question, but a statement. The Pharaoh nodded, smiling, like he understood what Nick had gone through in his head, and that he understood he was not speaking to a boy, but a man.

 

"You should get going. Ahkmenrah is human again, and needs rest before his journey starts." The father said, nodding to the excited Ahkmenrah, who was talking animatedly to his mother about what Nick could only assume was his dad. "You have a hard time ahead."

 

"Like I said," Nick repeated, hands in his pockets, the picture of a ready adult, "we got this."


	5. Complicated

The night around them was cold, and dark, and Ahkmenrah shivered as they stepped out onto the street. There were no people, as it had grown late, and the streets were still. They looked almost haunted, a thin fog rolling in to cast haze over the streetlamps, obscuring the signs. Ahkmenrah was still wearing the janitor's uniform, and no shoes, and the asphalt he walked on dug into his sensitive heels. He never had time to build up decent calluses to ward off the pain. Not that he could really feel much outside of the sheer cold, but the point remained. He walked reverently anyway, glided almost, not paying attention to his gate and falling into a step that slipped him silently across the streets. The sky glittered with half hidden stars, buried in the murky smokiness of London's pollution and well lit streets. Ahkmenrah had almost forgotten what stars were, and stared at them like they could vanish at any second. The cat trailed along behind them.

 

"So step one is basic necessities." Nick spoke, finally, soft, letting the Pharaoh sort of take in the sights. He spoke less for Ahkmenrah's sake and more his own, making a list in his head as they trudged past old building after old building, the great windows dark. "Like, I know you ate something today, which was great, but it's been hours and you need a good meal and some decent sleep. You're a person now, like a real person, and people need to eat more than a bag of chips." He paused, watching a car pull around the corner, the driver - a cop - slowing slightly before passing them. He breathed out, putting a hand on Ahkmenrah's arm to drag him on further.

 

The car doubled back ahead of them, slowing and pulling to a stop at the end of the block. Nick stopped, and Ahkmenrah was pulled from his own head roughly, nearly falling in his effort to stop suddenly. "Hey, uh, Ahk." Nick was staring straight ahead at the car, willing the doors to stay closed, and almost as soon as he thought that they opened. "You ever seen Dad drunk?"

 

"Yes, once or twice." Ahkmenrah didn't understand the significance of that fact. What did Larry's abhorrent behavior have to do with anything?

 

"Okay well I'm going to need you to be that. Like now." Nick watched the cop slide out of the driver seat, giving them a long moment as he turned back to talk to his partner on the other side. Ahkmenrah paused a second, trying to remember what Larry was like when he was drunk - Larry was an awful drunk, belligerent, loud and generally tasteless. He also could barely keep his feet, and slurred his words far too much.

 

"I do not know if I can talk like that, Nick." Ahkmenrah hissed, nervous now, feeling the tension in the air, hot around him. Nick was almost shaking, and he could feel it through the boy's hand on his arm.

 

"You don't need to speak. Just lean on me and roll your head around. Don't look at them." Nick hissed back, and Ahkmenrah did as he was told. He put his arm over Nick's shoulder and let his knees go limp, flopping down like a doll. Nick gave him a discrete thumbs up as the officer approached.

 

"What are you boys doing out this time of night?" The cop was polite, more concerned than angry, and Nick shifted the Pharaoh's weight heftily, like he was making a show of it.

 

"My friend went to a party earlier, and I was supposed to walk him home." Nick explained, gesturing to Ahkmenrah as the Pharaoh tried to stand and sort of fell again. "But like, he got super drunk and lost his shirt and pants somehow, and I've learned to not ask questions, and I intern at the museum sometimes so I gave him my uniform and now I'm just trying to get him home." Nick chuckled, shifting Ahkmenrah's weight again so he could roll a little more. The police stared for a long moment, eyes narrowed.

 

"Where d'you live?" He asked, and Nick pointed around the corner, trying to hold Ahkmenrah with one hand at the same time and nearly failing. The cop nodded, crossing his arms. "Can I see some identification?"

 

"I, uh, I have my ID in my wallet--" Nick dug for his wallet, having a hard time of doing that and balancing the Pharaoh. "--but he doesn't-uh-he had his in his pants, and, well..." Nick trailed off, handing the officer his own wallet at least, shifting Ahkmenrah's weight gently, hoping maybe his ID would be enough and they could go soon. The officer eyed the piece of plastic without taking it out of the leather wallet, cocked his head, closed the wallet and handed it back.

 

"Go home." The cop chuckled, alleviating the tension slightly. "And make sure he drinks some water before you sleep, alright kids?" He nodded, waving as he walked off, letting them head towards Nick's apartment. "Goodnight!"

 

"Why did we have to do that?" Ahkmenrah asked, feeling strange after being quiet so long. The apartment was close, and they went up several flights of stairs to the top before Nick stopped at a door.

 

"I didn't want him to think you stole the uniform." Nick shrugged. "Besides, you have no ID or wallet or anything and that's really weird so I had to think fast." He chuckled, letting them into his tiny apartment. It was a studio, with a big open room and one door. There was a kitchen against one wall, with a counter separating the space, and he had a small sofa next to a small television. His bed was large, and unmade, and there was general college boy litter around the place. But Ahkmenrah immediately felt at home. It smelled like Larry used to, musky and warm and nice, and it was far different than the harsh sterile clean smell of the museum.

 

"Now." Nick headed straight for the kitchen, rummaging around briefly, talking as he did so, pausing as he read off labels to find a solution to their problem. "You need to eat something substancial before we go to bed. What do we have.... Ramen.... I don't think you'll like ramen... let's... make... aha!" Nick pulled down a large blue box and shook it. "Mac 'N Cheese." He flashed a grin at Ahk, who had settled on the sofa quietly. "You'll like Mac 'N Cheese."

 

Ahkmenrah smiled back, unaware of what Mac N Cheese was - he remembered it, vaguely, being referenced when Nick was a boy, his need for this cheesy substance shattering the stillness of some of the nights - but his stomach rumbled as it knawed at him in hunger, and honestly any food would have been good at that moment.

 

~*~

 

Ahkmenrah was on his third helping. He wasn't sure how much Nick made, but he was going to eat all of it. Not only was he hungry - and man, when you've been a reanimated corpse for thousands of years, that hunger just will _not_ go away - but this mix was _heavenly_. Creamy cheese over soft noodles, warm and inviting, so simple and yet so mouth wateringly amazing that Ahkmenrah could hardly stop eating. Nick watched the Pharaoh power through one bowl, then another, then _another_ in quick succession, having only had one himself. "You okay?" Nick asked, after Ahkmenrah nearly licked the bowl clean. The Pharaoh smiled broadly.

 

"This is the best meal I have ever eaten." He said, putting the bowl down. He felt full, and it was strange. He hadn't felt full since he had been alive, and he'd never felt like this. He felt so content, and he felt honestly sleepy.

 

"Good. Now it's bedtime." Nick chuckled. He put the bowls in the sink, and pulled out a bottle, before fetching a blanket from a nearby cubbord and tossing it to the Pharaoh. Ahkmenrah accepted it gratefully, curling up on the sofa. The cushions were so _soft_. He watched Nick retreat to the bathroom, changing into a pair of pajamas, bringing out a second pair for Ahkmenrah. The boy took a long swig from the bottle. "Change into these." He handed the Pharaoh the pajamas. They were soft, a t-shirt and pants, and Ahkmenrah nodded.

 

"What are you drinking?" Ahkmenrah was curious, standing to go change. Nick shook his head, heading over to his own bed.

 

"It's nothing." Nick shrugged. Ahkmenrah could clearly read the bottle - vodka, something fruit flavored, but he couldn't make out what fruit - but he didn't question it, heading for the bathroom. The shirt and pants fit wonderfully, and they were soft, and he was glad to discard the uniform in the bathroom. He felt so wonderful, soft and warm and full, and the sofa was inviting and he didn't want to ask questions anymore. He wanted to sleep.

 

~*~

 

He woke up an hour later screaming. Dreams. He'd forgotten what dreams were, forgotten that the mind does things when it shuts down. He had been cold and wrapped and confined in that coffin again, and he'd been screaming until his throat bled every night, and nothing ever happened and he was trapped and it was so tight he couldn't do it anymore. And just when he was about to give up, the lid peeled back, and it was Kahmunrah, and he was laughing and Ahkmenrah was screaming again but different, louder, and sudden he was awake. He was sweating, breathing hard, sitting up on that sofa, and it took him a long moment to realize he was okay.

 

"Nightmare?" Nick was awake, sitting in bed with his bottle, the thing cradled in his arms as he tapped away at his computer listlessly. Ahkmenrah watched him for a long moment, eyes still so wide and panicked, heart racing, fingers clutching the cushions like they anchored him in some way. Nick motioned him over to the bed, shutting the computer. "Come on." Ahkmenrah nodded, stumbling off the sofa and dragging his blanket along with him. He couldn't seem to form words yet, still shaken from the closeness of his dream, the suffocating darkness of his entrapment so fresh in his mind. But he could crawl into bed next to Nick, and the boy was warm, and he was a comfort. Nick smelled like alcohol, and the bottle that was mostly full was half empty now, but Ahkmenrah didn't care. He just focused on the steady in and out of Nick's breathing, trying to get his nerves to stop.

 

"Dad.... I didn't like him leaving you. Like. I didn't like that he didn't ask you to come back. Cause he didn't tell them back home." Nick started speaking, and he slurred a little and after a moment he passed Ahkmenrah the bottle. The Pharaoh took it, sniffed it - it smelled strong, far too strong for him - and handed it back with a shake of his head. "Like, Jed and Teddy and Rexy and all of them never got a chance to say g'night or nothin' cause he didn't tell anyone." Nick shifted down, putting the bottle on the floor by the bed. "So I got mad at him for it. Cause like he forced me to abandon everyone. And we don't talk much." It was a heavy admission, something that Nick probably only would admit while drunk, and Ahkmenrah mulled over the information for a long moment.

 

"I do not think they would mind, nor would they be mad that you _abandoned_ them, if you call it that." Ahkmenrah said, softly. "When the tablet is not awake, the passage of time is as if not at all. One moment, they are awake, and then it is a blink between the wakeful periods. I bet they would hardly have realized you were gone."

 

"But I still like, left them and stuff. _I'd_ know." Nick flailed a little, like Ahkmenrah's logic was far too logical for him. "And like, he totally left you. He could have moved here, y'know, gotten a transfer or something. Like his boss was even like hey, man, wanna, wanna like, work there? And he said nah." Nick put his hands on his face. "He was being a big baby about it 'cause like _oh, my boyfriend has family he doesn't need me_ someone call the wambulance." Nick made a strange noise into his hands, almost a _bluh_ noise, but longer, and more of a groan.

 

"What is a.... _wahbulance_?" Ahkmenrah slipped closer, curled up next to Nick as he slipped further into the bed.

 

"It's like am ambulance. But for big crying babies that go _wahhhhhh_." Nick chuckled, rolling over to face the Pharaoh. "But yeah like. I guess. I can't sleep ever. Cause I just want to be okay with dad again and be like how it was and party a lot and stuff and like I do party a lot but it's not the same y'know?" He was mumbling a bit, and then he went quiet, content now that he'd gotten that out, having cleaned his mind of bad things. Ahkmenrah breathed out, more content now, and then spoke.

 

"I forgot what dreams were." He said, softly. "At first, it was nice. I remembered nice things. But then I was back there." He shivered. "I was trapped, and it was cold and dark and I was wrapped up and I couldn't move and I just... I screamed and screamed and screamed. And then Kahmunrah attempted to kill me again. And I woke up." He felt better admitting it, felt better saying it, like naming what was ailing him gave him strength to fight it.

 

"Mmm." Nick hummed. "Just stay here, 'k?" He smiled, eyes closed. "Cause like, you probably already know that won't happen so telling you it won't happen won't help but like, if you stay here you can like, I dunno cuddle up on me I don't care like I've totally had people just like fall all over me before just don't like take my clothes off but like," He paused, train of thought momentarily derailed, before he found it again, "if you wake up again I'll be here and there's no way in hell two people can fit in your box of dark so like, you'll immediately know you're okay okay?" He smiled, and Ahkmenrah smiled with him, sleepy now that he had a solution. It helped that said solution was warm and soft and nice.

 

"I like that idea. Thank you, Nick." Ahkmenrah smiled, watching Nick roll over and slipping closer, letting him get just within touching distance. Nick closed the gap, dragging Ahkmenrah's arm over him with a chuckle.

 

"Man if you're gonna cuddle up here do it right okay like, no homo but you either get close or stop trying, deal?" He chuckled again, pulling on Ahkmenrah's arm until the Pharaoh slipped closer. "Don't half ass this shit."

 

"I do not know how to _half ass shit_ , but you have a deal." Ahkmenrah laughed with the boy, close now, close enough to feel his heat, and soon he was asleep, dreaming comfortably again.


End file.
